The Department of Rural Development and Panchayat had successfully implemented the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Raj Fellowship’ programme, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said on Saturday. Kharge said this is a path-breaking experiment in local governance, something first of its kind in India. Launched in the last state budget, the programme is aimed at giving power to the Panchayat Raj system in that region, which is backward.
Kharge said the fellowship was a unique opportunity for the young, talented graduates who were passionate about the social sector to work directly with the Panchayat Raj system. As such, the fellows would have a deep understanding of the social, geographical, economic and administrative context of the region, and would work with district administrations to resolve local issues.
The Minister said that he recently attended a progression meeting with 44 trained fellows and observed the phenomenal work carried out over a few months. Kharge says the fellows have already made impressive progress. In many villages of Kalyana Karnataka, they have started 39 awareness centres again and re-opened 116 abandoned orphanages. Additionally, the fellows enhanced waste management, such as organizing garbage collection and segregation in 61 Gram Panchayats and introducing waste management fee collection in 23 Gram Panchayats.
Furthermore, the fellows have helped in organizing 197 general body meetings, 81 ward and village meetings, and in forming 508 subcommittees to deal with community concerns. In addition to ensuring more empowerment for local youth, this initiative has greatly helped in uplifting the levels of rural governance and administration of Karnataka.
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